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Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration

BACK TO: Sine Testing

Up until now, we’ve discussed the construction of the sine wave. In

vibration testing, however, the movement of the wave is just as
important.

Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration in Vibration Testing

Displacement, velocity, and acceleration are measurements of a sine

wave in relation to movement. During testing, a product is subject to an
input vibration, and the output vibration is recorded for analysis. The
movement of the output provides information on a product’s response to
an external force and helps to identify the damage potential of the input.

DISPLACEMENT

Test engineers are not so much interested in the displacement, or

change in position, of a product, but the acceleration over time. Before
acceleration, however, we must address velocity.

VELOCITY

Velocity refers to the rate of change in the position of a product. Speed

varies during vibration testing. At the highest point, or peak, of the cycle,
the product is momentarily at a standstill and the velocity is zero. Then,
the product descends and picks up speed. The product reaches the point
of greatest negative velocity when it crosses the rest position; after which
point, the product begins to slow down. At the lowest point, or trough, of
the cycle, the product is again momentarily at a standstill and the
velocity is zero. It begins the process again by climbing up and gaining
positive speed.

Figure 2.1 displays the velocity over time. The velocity is positive at the
beginning as if the test was already in motion when the data was
collected. As a measure of the rate at which position changes, velocity is
measured in meters per second.
 Figure 2.1. Velocity over time.

ACCELERATION

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. When a car accelerates, its

velocity increases. When it decelerates, its velocity decreases. In Figure
2.1, the velocity is changing over time. What would the graph of
acceleration over time look like? Consider the following:
At the crest of the cycle, the product has zero velocity. The product then
moves downward at a negative velocity. It increases in negative velocity
until it reaches the rest position; at which point, the product begins to
slow down. During this time frame, the acceleration is negative because
the velocity is increasing in a negative direction. Once past the rest
position, however, the product slows down until it reaches a momentary
standstill at the trough of the cycle; at which point, the velocity becomes
positive and the product moves upward.

In other words, when the product passes the rest position, the velocity
increases in the positive direction from negative to zero to positive
velocity. Figure 2.2 depicts the acceleration of the product over time.
 Figure 2.2. Acceleration over time.

Being a measure of the rate at which velocity changes, acceleration is

measured in meters per second per second. We can think of it as the
meters per second change in velocity every second. In vibration testing,
acceleration is measured in the unit g or G, where 1 G is equivalent to the
acceleration due to gravity (around 9.8 meters per second per second).
Frequency Range in Sine Testing

Up until now, we have been discussing occurrences during a single-tone

sine test with low frequencies. In reality, sine vibration testing takes place
over a broad range of frequencies, from the 10-10,000 Hz frequency
range. When we shake a product with a 5,000 Hz sine tone, the product
undergoes 5,000 cycles every second.

Below is a slow-motion video showing the displacement and velocity of a

shaker head vibrating at 5 Hz. When the displacement is at the
maximum or minimum point, the velocity of the shaker head is zero.

00:00 00:17

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Phase and Sine Into the Frequency Domain
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